| WASHINGTON - Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers Monday introduced the Science Accountability Act (H.R. 5442), legislation to ensure that K-12 students are learning science. Members of Congress Rush Holt, D-N.J., Judy Biggert, R-Ill., and Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., joined Ehlers in introducing the bill.
Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, states are required to develop and administer science assessments by the 2007-08 school year. Currently, the NCLB Act does not require that the science assessments be used in the state accountability system.
“When Congress originally authorized the NCLB Act, the intent was to hold states and schools accountable for ensuring students are learning science once the assessments were developed and in place,” noted Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, who is a Ph.D. nuclear physicist and was a professor and researcher prior to his political career. The Science Accountability Act, he said, adds the logical step of including science in the state accountability system, starting in the 2008-09 school year.
President Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative calls for including science assessments in the NCLB Act accountability system, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Meeting the Challenge of a Changing World: Strengthening Education for the 21st Century report states that this “will ensure students are learning the necessary content and skills to be successful in the 21st-century workforce.”
The bill also phases in annual assessments in science. Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, the NCLB Act requires that states administer science assessments once in three grade spans, between grades 3-5, 6-9 and 10-12. This bill would require states to annually assess students in grades 3-8 beginning in the 2009-10 school year, matching the requirements for math and reading assessments.
In a joint letter of support, Dr. Gerald Wheeler, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, and Dr. E. Ann Nalley, president of the American Chemical Society, applauded Ehlers, Holt, Biggert and Boehlert for introducing the Science Accountability Act.
“Science assessments are necessary tools for managing and evaluating efforts so that all students receive the science education necessary to successfully prepare them for the future,” Wheeler and Nalley wrote. “Including science in the accountability measures will put science on an equal footing with other curriculum areas, highlight areas for improvement in many of our nation’s schools, and help to ensure that all learners can succeed academically in science. We hope that this legislation will spur states to develop quality science assessments that are appropriately aligned with the science curriculum and instruction. These instruments should be designed to accurately assess student understanding of science content, process, and skills, and their ability to think critically and solve problems.”
CLICK HERE to view the letter of support for H.R. 5442. |
